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10 permits · verified 2026-09-29

What permits do you need to open a food truck in Elmore County Al?

In short

A food truck in Elmore County Al, AL has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Elmore County Health Department, Environmental Division (ADPH East Central District) charges $30 a year, per permit (Elmore County Health Department fee schedule line 677, Limited Food Service & Mobile Food Permit) for the limited food service and mobile food permit (elmore county health department). 3 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-29 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a food truck in Elmore County Al

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Limited Food Service and Mobile Food Permit (Elmore County Health Department)Elmore County Health Department, Environmental Division (ADPH East Central District)$30 a year, per permit (Elmore County Health Department fee schedule line 677, Limited Food Service & Mobile Food Permit)annual; the permit expires with the annual privilege license (September 30) or on a date designated by the Health Officer, and renews on written application within 150 days before expiration2026-09-29
Temporary Food Service Permit (Elmore County Health Department)only if it applies to youElmore County Health Department, Environmental Division (ADPH East Central District)$30 per permit, one-time (Elmore County Health Department fee schedule line 631, Temporary Food Service)per event2026-09-29
Food Establishment PermitAlabama Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Milk and Lodging$50–$650 a year, set by the county health department, not by the stateannual — expiring when the privilege licenses expire, or on a date the health officer sets2026-09-03
Certified Food Protection Manageronly if it applies to youAlabama Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Milk and LodgingNo fee5 years for a certification; 12 months for attendance without certification2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

AL registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
State and County Business Privilege Licenseonly if it applies to youAlabama Department of Revenue, Business and License Tax DivisionVaries — formula on the AL pageannual — 1 October to 30 September, delinquent 1 November2026-09-03
Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to youAlabama Secretary of State, Business Services$200 one-time filingperpetual — Alabama abolished the annual report in 20242026-09-03
Certificate of Incorporationonly if it applies to youAlabama Secretary of State, Business Services$200 one-time filingperpetual — Alabama abolished the annual report in 20242026-09-03
Corporation Annual Report (abolished)only if it applies to youAlabama Secretary of State, Business ServicesNo feenot applicable — the filing no longer exists2026-09-03
Business Privilege Taxonly if it applies to youAlabama Department of Revenue, Sales and Use Tax DivisionVaries — formula on the AL pageannual — due when the matching federal return is due2026-09-03
Sales Tax LicenseAlabama Department of Revenue, Sales and Use Tax DivisionNo feeannual — renew online between 1 November and 31 December2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

How much does it actually cost to permit a food truck in Elmore County Al?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 10 records listed for a food truck in Elmore County Al, AL, 3 apply to every business of this type and 7 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

Of the 3 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $30.00. That is a floor, not a total. 3 of the 10 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 3 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Food Establishment Permit: $50–$650 a year, set by the county health department, not by the state

The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Elmore County Al permits page and the AL state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Elmore County Al?

Permits for a food truck in Elmore County Al, AL come from 5 separate offices: Elmore County Health Department, Environmental Division (ADPH East Central District), Alabama Department of Revenue, Business and License Tax Division, Alabama Secretary of State, Business Services, Alabama Department of Revenue, Sales and Use Tax Division, Alabama Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Milk and Lodging. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a food truck need in Elmore County Al that other businesses do not?

1 of the 4 permits particular to a food truck here applies to no other business type we cover in Elmore County Al: Limited Food Service and Mobile Food Permit (Elmore County Health Department).

Limited Food Service and Mobile Food Permit (Elmore County Health Department)

A food truck or other mobile food unit operating in Elmore County needs a permit from the Elmore County Health Department's Environmental Division, 6501 US Hwy 231, Wetumpka. The published annual fee is $30.00 under the schedule line titled Limited Food Service & Mobile Food Permit. The schedule does not define which operations count as limited food service beyond that title, and ADPH rule 420-3-22-.09 governs mobile food establishments. The fee schedule is the Elmore County Board of Health's own, set under Ala. Code §45-26-170, and carries no published effective date. A mobile operation working a one-time event may instead need the temporary food service permit recorded separately for Elmore County.

Temporary Food Service Permit (Elmore County Health Department)

A food vendor serving at a temporary event in Elmore County, such as a festival, fair or one-time gathering, needs a temporary food service permit from the Elmore County Health Department's Environmental Division, 6501 US Hwy 231, Wetumpka. The published fee is $30.00 per permit, one time, under the county's own fee schedule set by the Board of Health under Ala. Code §45-26-170. ADPH rule 420-3-22-.12 governs temporary food establishments. A restaurant, coffee shop or food truck that also sells at an event uses this permit in addition to its regular permit. The fee schedule carries no published effective date.

Food Establishment Permit

There is no state food permit fee at all — the health department's own rule listing every fee it collects at state level covers lead contractors, milk plants and cluster wastewater, and the word food does not appear in it. The permit comes from the county health officer and the price is the county's. That split is fiscal rather than regulatory: all sixty-seven counties enforce the same state rule, but the state runs sixty-five of the county health departments while Jefferson and Mobile elect their own health officers, hire their own staff and set their own fees, which run several times higher. Russell County charges $75 to $350 by priority category, with a mobile unit at $50 and a temporary at $10 a day; Chilton charges $50 to $100 by seats or floor area; Jefferson charges $250 to $650 by level; Mobile charges $410 or $615 by square footage. Ask your own county rather than working from a statewide figure, because none exists. A restaurant must also produce the health certificate before the county will issue its privilege license.

Shared with other businesses in Elmore County Al

  • Certified Food Protection Manager — Alabama Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Milk and Lodging, No fee, 5 years for a certification; 12 months for attendance without certification. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.

The 6 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across AL and are covered on the AL state page.

How does a food truck compare with other businesses in Elmore County Al?

The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 3 of these permits. A food truck also needs Limited Food Service and Mobile Food Permit (Elmore County Health Department). A coffee shop needs Food Service Establishment Permit (Elmore County Health Department) and Food Establishment Plan Review (Elmore County Health Department), which a food truck does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Elmore County Al, AL, compared with a food truck
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a food truckOnly a food truck needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops5312
Restaurants8315
Auto repair shops3043
Childcare centres2042
Contractors and trades4044
Retail stores3043
Salons and barbers3043
Veterinary clinics2042

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the restaurants page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Elmore County Al permits page and the AL state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Elmore County Health Department Environmental Fee Schedule (undated PDF)Alabama Department of Public Health, Elmore County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  2. Code of Alabama §45-26-170 — Fees for services (Elmore County Board of Health, Act 88-440)law.justia.com (Code of Alabama mirror) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  3. Alabama Administrative Code chapter 420-3-22 — food establishment sanitation, permits issued by the county health officerAlabama Department of Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  4. Alabama Administrative Code chapter 420-1-5 — the exhaustive list of fees the health department collects at state level, which contains no food establishment feeAlabama Department of Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  5. Russell County Health Department — environmental fee schedule, revised 27 March 2025, an example of a state-run county's food permit feesAlabama Department of Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  6. Mobile County Health Department — board of health fee schedule, 5 December 2025, an independent county department's food permit feesMobile County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.